Reviews

Mrs. C and I took a break from Xmas shopping to get some breakfast for dinner. Since we had never tried this place, it seemed like a good opportunity. As previous reviewers have noted, it is a plain vanilla diner. The server seemed to be reasonably competent, but she had some difficulty explaining the specials. Mrs. C gave up in frustration and just studied the big board in the foyer.

I was going to have waffles but when I saw the country fried steak (aka chicken fried steak) I knew it was what I wanted. “I can book the angioplasty later,” I thought. The meal came with pancakes and 3 eggs. Mrs. C stuck to crepes and eggs with sausage. My chicken fried steak was cooked to artery-clogging perfection and the pancakes were nice and fluffy. Mrs. C said her crepes were a solid 6/10.

IHOP tables come equipped with 4 kinds of syrup, but the labels are difficult to find (they are embossed on the lids, but aren’t in a contrasting color). I sampled them all. Actually they all taste about the same. That was a disappointment. Also notable was the absolutely disgusting w/c. I was glad it was raining so I could clean the bottoms of my shoes before I went into my car.

Despite some shortcomings in ambience and service, the food was as expected if not slightly better, and I will definitely return soon. There are other locations to try…

I went with some friends to sample the desserts at this place, based on the previous positive experiences of two members of our group. The restaurant is small and functional, and had a peculiar aroma I could not define. Other than that it seemed alright, and the staff was friendly and helpful. Mrs. C had a sweet tofu and red bean soup and one couple in the group shared a sweet tofu and yam soup. I stuck to a strawberry milk tea with coconut jelly. The dessert items were reported to be tasty, but my milk tea was bitter and not very good. I might try some of the other desserts if I ever return.

Mrs. C and I were in Ditchmond and my beloved demanded a trip to Dinesty. I had seen mixed reviews on this site so I was not anxious to try, but the boss can’t be denied. We headed in after we (finally) found a place to park. The server was quick and seated us right away. I had need of the w/c, and I had to wait almost 5 minutes, because it accommodated only one customer at a time. Too small! When I got inside it was nasty. Once I got past that inconvenience the evening improved dramatically.

We had the beef and tendons in noodle soup with the complimentary potstickers. We also tried the cold cucumber with garlic and chilies, and the pork in hoi sin sauce with pancakes. The soup was 10 times better than at a certain beef noodle place in Burnaby, and the potstickers were fantastic, and double the normal size. The pork dish was also very tasty, but there weren’t enough of the little pancakes to accommodate all the pork. Mrs. C was very nostalgic about the cucumber since her mother used to make it for her, and we agreed it was good too. In fact everything we had was terrific.

The service was good and the ambience was modern even if it was a little dirty. If you want to see how your meal is made, the open kitchen occupies one side of the restaurant so you can observe the cooks at work and see flames leaping out of woks.

A (mostly) good experience. We left happy and had some leftovers for lunch. Try it and taste for yourself!

Mrs. C and I went to HG recently because we thought they had prime rib on special. We got seated in the middle of the maelstrom, and realized this place is really a bar that serves food, not a restaurant. Wow, was it loud!

We shouted our order to the all-in-black server: Aloha and pepperoni pizzas, and beers. The prime rib was 20 bucks, which seemed like a bit of a rip-off, so we passed on that. The food arrived quickly and the drinks weren’t crazy expensive for a bar, and we chowed down. The food was good, and so no complaints there. The w/c was a little nasty, but as I’ve said twice already, it’s a bar.

Maybe Chasiubow is getting old, but I like to be able to converse when I eat. That was not possible at HG.

A gang of us met for food at CC and we were hungry. After a brief wait at the frigid entrance, we were inside holding menus. The ambience was nice and the ‘Nucks game was on, so that much was good. The only problem was the blast of icy air every time someone came into the place. I also checked out the w/c and it was clean and kind of funky. The friendly server got our orders right and kept coming back to see how we were doing, so I would say service was good.

But hey, we came for the food. We started with cheese toast and potato skins as appetizers. Both were good, and the side sauces made a big difference. Then we moved on to the mains. I had a most excellent bacon cheeseburger with yam fries, and a pint of Canadian. Mrs. C had a steak with peppercorn sauce, and our friends had various steak and sides combinations while one contrarian in the group rejected beef and ordered a prawn linguine. All were reported to be very good, but it looked to me like the steaks were kind of small. In fact, most of the portions seemed puny, which cost a star on this review. I give high marks for the artful food presentation though.

We all left satisfied if slightly underfed, and will visit again once the warm weather returns. The patio should be open then, and the Bellinis will be flowing.

Mrs. C and I met for lunch and we both needed a quick pho fix. 1S seemed like a good choice. We sat down in the tiny restaurant and were impressed with the cleanliness of the place. Service is basically counter service, so can’t really rate it except it was fast. The w/c is in a labyrinth behind the shop, but it was very clean.

We had the usual spring rolls and beef pho, and both were quite good. The spring rolls weren’t greasy, and there were 4 per order so quite generous for the price. The pho was also tasty, but nothing special. All the food came in disposable containers, so the planet isn’t going to benefit much from this restaurant.

We were in and out fast, our bellies were full and our pockets still had money in them, so it was a good lunch. Plus there aren’t many alternatives downtown

I was on my way back from a quick business trip to Calgary and I needed sushi as an antidote for my visit to the redneck ramparts. Mrs. C and some friends picked me up at YVR and suggested sushi. We went to AT only because it was the first one we saw.

The place looked nice enough, and we were seated right away, but the server seemed to be on a mission to annoy. Examples: I asked for water, and was told I wouldn’t like the water there, since the recent snow had caused black spots in the water. She suggested I buy mineral water. “Wait a minute”, I said, “You just poured us tea. That has water, right?” She had no answer. Later I asked what kind of beer was on tap. She did not know what that was, so I explained. I was then told Asahi beer was the best beer, so I didn’t need this other kind of beer. After a bit of back and forth I gave up and had my tea. It wasn’t a language issue, since the server spoke English like a native and she understood Cantonese when it was spoken to her. It was like she wanted to be a jerk.

We skipped the AYCE and ordered a selection of sushi and sashimi. The sushi was non-lethal, except for the spicy tuna roll, which was too hot to be eaten, and seemed to have been made with spoiled fish. We left that one behind. The rest of the sushi all looked like it was not very fresh. In this town we expect a high standard from sushi places, and this restaurant didn’t come close. We reluctantly ate our food, but in the parking lot all we joked about food poisoning. So it’s fair to say it was not the best dining experience for all concerned. Will I be back? Not a chance.

Mrs. C and I were once again treating out of town guests to some authentic Vancouver cuisine. And what says V-berg better than pizza? Okay, lots of foods, but we were craving pizza, so Lombardo’s was our choice. This version is different than the Commercial Drive location. It is just as noisy, if not more so, but it feels a lot smaller. The other big difference is that there is no wood-fired pizza oven, unlike the original restaurant. The ambience is pleasing to the eye, if a bit cramped.

We had the special pizza of the day which had capicolo, peppers and olives. It was okay. We also ordered the inferno which had cheese and chilli paste. Whew, it was hot! We tried an order of spaghetti with tomato sauce and olives, and the lasagne. The spaghetti was quite tasty, and the noodles were a perfect al dente. The sauce had lots of flavour, but did not overwhelm. The lasagne was nondescript. We also had some house Chianti, which was fine for the price. For desert, we had mud pie (awesome) and spumoni, which was pretty good.

The service was good considering how packed the place was, and the restaurant was clean, including the w/c. The downside was that we kept thinking about the other Lombardo’s. Compared to that one, this place came up short.

Don’t get me wrong, the meal was good. It just doesn’t live up to its sister location.

I've been dragged to Havana a couple of different times, and I have to agree with some of the reviews here. The ambience was once nice enough (haven't been to the back room), and it is a good place for drinks on a warm day, but like the city it is named for, it has seen better days. Last time I went I had the inedible chicken. The staff are rather rude, and the place is dirty, so I can't recommend. There are so many better places on the Drive, that you ought not to waste any time here...

Mrs. C and I were looking for a quick meal and we spotted Ricky’s. It is next to the terrible F-burger next door. We were seated in the almost empty restaurant and I suspect the rain/snow was keeping people away. Also, I noticed that they closed at 7. “Have to eat fast”, I thought.

I had the double burger and fries. Margaritas were on special, so I went with raspberry. Mrs. C had the 2 egg and steak breakfast with hash browns. My burger was excellent, with lots of meat and cheese, and it looked like one of those burgers you see in commercials but rarely experience in real life. Tall, big, juicy, tasty. The fries were thick and perfectly prepared. The margarita was okay, but next time I’ll stick to Bellinis.

Mrs. C reported that her breakfast for dinner was excellent, and she even ate the hash browns despite her usual aversion to them. The steak was in her words “fantastic”.

The service was good, and the place was clean and comfortable. The men’s w/c was having plumbing issues, but the ladies room was said to be clean.

I was surprised to see a lot of one-review wonders saying terrible things about this place. I took Mrs. C to eat at SC after drifting down North Road looking for chow. The place was packed when we got there, and it looked like it could use a good cleaning. Still, the sushi looked good and so we tried it.

The service was brisk, and the servers seemed a little overwhelmed. We tried a bunch of different sushi. The nigiri tuna was outstanding, and the BBQ eel nigiri was tasty. I also liked the teriyaki beef roll. I found the giant sashimi pieces to be too cold. The prawn tempura had a nice light batter and was tasty and not greasy. The California roll was big, but otherwise unremarkable.

I found it a little strange to get Korean tea with my sushi, but this is on the edge of K-town, so not totally unexpected. I guess my biggest concern was cleanliness, since the place was so busy. The w/c could be cleaner.

This was not fine dining, but for good sushi at a cheap price, it was just fine. I noticed a nearby Korean/Japanese restaurant was almost empty, so they must be doing something right here.

Mrs. C and I took a couple of friends to have a relaxing dinner. The Pantry seemed like a good choice. This Pantry is at the Coquitlam Best Western, and it was nice enough. The restaurant is typical for this chain, nothing out of the ordinary. The server seemed competent, and we were seated in a comfortable booth.

We had a chicken fajita, a 3-alarm burger, meat loaf, and schnitzel. All were okay, but unremarkable. The burger was the best meal of the lot. The schnitzel was the least good, and was found to be a bit greasy.

All in all a meal without surprises. It wasn’t great, but nobody left food on their plates. I’ve been to a few Pantry locations, and this one is around the middle of the pack.

It was pho season again and Mrs C and I were both craving some soup. We cruised along Hastings in search of pho satisfaction. I spotted this place next to Hollywood Café. The restaurant was very nice and clean inside, and the friendly server seated us right away. The place looked like a nice family eatery. The menu was quite extensive, and there were lots of combo specials. We settled on a pair of rare beef pho’s, some shrimp and pork spring rolls, and iced coffee. The spring rolls were very tasty, but the pho was superb. The broth was beefy and savoury, and there was lots of meat. The noodles were okay, but could be slightly firmer for my taste. The coffee was about average.

I checked out the w/c and it was extra clean. The whole place was nice and tidy, and not what you would expect in that part of town. I thought the light purple walls were a little odd, but the atmosphere was very relaxing. They had 3 TV’s with (at the time we were there) Fairchild TV on, so we could catch up on the news while we ate. As a bonus at the end of our meal we got free desserts, which were a kind of cross between warm custard and tapioca.

We left satisfied and it cost less than 20 bucks for two. What more could you ask?

We were on our way to T&T to load up on cheap sushi and buns when we saw DD. "Oh, Chasiu, they have bubble waffles!" cried an excited Mrs C. I know when it is time to listen to my beloved, so we hurried in to get some bubble foods.

We shared a bubble waffle and a coconut bubble tea with coconut jelly. The bubble tea was masterfully prepared and was delicious. The bubble waffle was tasty too, but a little overcooked. As for ambience, it is a little dirty and crowded, and the friendly servers were hard-pressed to keep up. We also had a bit of a wait for our order. Luckily, they had a big TV with Canto-pop videos and commercials for DD mixed in.

It was a satisfying snack, and I will be back for more if I am nearby.

Mrs. C and I took a couple of friends to eat since the mom in their family was visiting HK, and the boys were hungry!

Ginza seemed like a good choice. We were seated immediately in the comfortable and nicely decorated restaurant. The server seemed a little scattered, but she managed to take our order after a couple of tries, although we had to chase her to get tea refills.

We had various sushi and sashimi, some tasty tempura, and some truly awesome gyoza. The tempura was slightly overcooked, but the sushi and sashimi were well above average. The presentation was very good. The ambience was nice too, and the w/c’s were very clean.

The prices were truly shocking for a sushi joint in PoCo, but maybe they want to keep out the riffraff. Go if you have deep pockets.

I was craving some meat and wandered over to WS with Mrs. C. When we got there, no one seated us until I flagged down a cook. We got a table near the fire after a few minutes of wandering and had a look at the menus. The server came over and told us prime rib was on special. I asked for that, and was immediately told it was sold out. “Then why tell me”, I thought.

I ordered a bigger bacon cheddar burger, and a pint of Nat Bailey ale. Mrs. C had the orange beef stir fry. The food took about 30 minutes to arrive, and when it did, I noticed that my bacon burger had no bacon. After chasing down our server I pointed this out and she said “Oh, you want bacon? No problem”. I considered no bacon on a bacon burger to be a problem, but I guess I am fussy. Ten minutes later my (now cold) food was returned to me with bacon, and without an explanation. I also noted that the burger really ought to be called a smaller bacon burger. It was not good at all.

I ate it anyway, and had the bland ale, promising myself never to return. Mrs. C said her food was edible, but it tasted like orange juice and chili sauce on noodles. Echhh!

Maybe Chuck Currie was busy on another culinary adventure and left the restaurant to volunteers off the street, because it seemed like no one was doing their job at this place.

I was meaning to try this place for quite a while. Finally, after finding Lombardo's mega-full, I scampered over to see what all the fuss was about. The head chef was not there but his underling was, and she was friendly and knowledgeable.

I had an Oroshi, which is a pork bratwurst with daikon, soy sauce and mayo. I noticed that the dogs are pre-cooked and are heated up on the grill prior to serving. They still have some BBQ flavour, but they are moister and less greasy than one would expect. I found my dog was a little bland so I spritzed on some wasabe mayo form the vast store of condiments on the cart. Perfect!

The dog was very different than the usual street puppy, and soon my tongue was dancing with delight. I gobbled it down and craved another, but decided to sample the rest of the menu another time. The ambience is the side of Burrard Street, and so was a little crowded, wet, and noisy, but I expect that in summer it is pleasant enough.

Mrs. C and I were in the area looking at condos and we spotted HDL. I heard about this place a few months back, but didn't visit. This time we came to have the famous burger.

The restaurant was empty when we got there, and they had some sports show on the big TV over the bar. The server seemed friendly enough, but disappeared for a while and didn't seem to know what the drink specials were. We ordered a couple of the $13 burgers, and I had a beer which was crazy expensive at 6 bucks for 330ml (about 2/3 of a can of beer). My beloved had a lichee drink for three and a half bucks.

The ambience of the restaurant was dark but comfortable, and the w/c's were both clean but a little old-fashioned and small.

The burgers themselves were pretty good, and the wedge fries were fresh and not from frozen. Not the greatest burger ever, but good.

If this place was in Yaletown they might get away with the prices, but the empty restaurant tells the tale. Good, but too expensive for the neighbourhood.

I saw a coupon in the Burnaby newspaper and that was all the incentive I needed to take Mrs. C and another couple out for prime rib. This place is conveniently located south of Lougheed Hwy on North Road. The ambience was nice and comfortable, and the server we had was very good. We presented our coupon with no fuss. I ordered a glass of wine which was a little steep at 6 bucks, and one of the party had a beer, also a little pricey. In fact even the lowly iced tea was a little more expensive than it ought to be.

The prime rib arrived and it was artistically presented with the veggies lined up on an interesting pattern, and the whipped potato also artfully arranged. It came au jus. The prime rib piece itself was a little on the small side compared to other places, but it was well-prepared.

My friends and I are hearty but not excessive eaters and we all came away wanting a little more. Whether that is a tribute to the food, or an indictment of the small portions is a debate I leave to another day.

I went with Mrs. C and two friends to sample the famous waffles. We were not entirely disappointed. The WH looks like a typical diner with the usual ambience. We were seated at a comfortable table and had some tasty coffee and tea. Then on to the waffles. Mine had a side of bacon and eggs, Mrs. C had ham and eggs with hers, and our friends had toast, scrambled eggs and bacon with theirs. The eggs and fried meats were very tasty, and the waffles were also light and fluffy. My only complaint was the size. The waffles could have been thicker. Although they did fill ¾ of a plate, they were thinner than a pancake. I am used to real waffles like they have in Belgium. Yes I’ve actually had waffles there! The service was good, and the w/c was clean.

If they worked on making the waffles a little bigger it would be the perfect breakfast spot. I have to admit I left hungry...